Seal-lock



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

L. A. BROWN.

SEAL LOOK.

No. 392,496. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. A. BROWN.

SEAL LOOK.

No. 392,496. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

Altea-a? .Tnven $02;

arem Ut l ties,

LEWIS A. BROWVN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SEAL==LOCt(.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,4 96, datedNovember 6, 1888. Application filed August 27 1888. Serial No. 293,823.(X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwis A. Bnows, of Louis, Missouri, have made a newand useful Improvement in Seal-Looks, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This improvement is related to construetions describedin my applicationsfor Letters Patent of the United States therefor, filed, respectively,June 8, 1888, and July 19, 1888, and numbered serially 276,464 and280,359, respectively, in that a seal, slotted link, hook, and stapleare generally used in carrying out the improvement, and the seal isusually composed partly of a frangible plate and partly of a label. 111the present construction the hook and the slotted link are employed, andin connecting and disconnecting the link and hook the link is firstturned to bring its slot opposite the hook-point, whereupon thehookpoint can be passed through the slot. The link-extension, the partwhich contains the slot, is also, as in the constructions referred to,enlarged to form a frame to receive a lockingplate and seal. The seal isany plate of suit able size and incapable of being sprung out of itsplacein the look without so altering or al t'ecting its appearance as torender it noticeable.

The improvement relates more especially to the means for locking theplate which holdsthe seal in the link, so that the plate, alter beinginserted in the link so as to conline the seal, cannot be moved unlessthe link is upturned, substantially as is hereinafter set forth andelaimed,aided by the annexed drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improvedseal-lock in position, the seal being inserted and locked; Fig. 2, asimilar elevation, the seal being removed, the locking-plate beingturned around to bring its slot .under the hook point, and a portion ofthe lockingplate be ing broken away to exhibit the interiorconstruction;Fig. 3, a view showing the position into which the link is turned towithdraw the locking-plate; Fig. 4, a view in perspective of the seal;Fig. 5, a view in perspective from beneath of the locking-plate; Fig. 6,a view in perspective of one of the guide-plates upon the link; Fig. 7,View in perspective of the main part of thelink; Fig. 8, a View inperspective from above of the locking-plate; Fig. 9, a view inperspective of another of the guide-plates upon the link; Fig. 10,asection of the link and parts thereto attached, the section being on theline 10 10 of Fig. 11,which in turn is a section on the line 1111 ofFig. 10.

The views are upon various scales, and the same letters of referencedenote the same parts.

In Figs. 1. and 2,A represents the staple, with which the link B ispermanently connected, substantially as shown.

0 represents the hook, which, by means of the link, can be connectedwith the staple.

D and E are respectively any parts to which the staple and hook areapplied, and in the present instance they may represent a doorpost anddoor of a railway freightcar, to which construction the improvement iswell adapted.

The slot in the link 13, through which the hook-point 0 passes, is shownat b, and b represents the link -extension containing the slot, andconstituting with the guide-plates b N, Figs. 6 and 9, respectively, theholder for the lockingplate F, the balls G G, used in connection withthe locking-plate, and the seal H.

The locking-plate F, Figs. 2,3, 5, and S, and the linkextension b, arerelatively so constructed as to enable the locking-plate to be slippedupon the link-extension into a position in which the seal His confinedin the link, and there, by means of a movable part, held so that itcannot be slipped back again or otherwise shifted to release the sealwithout first turning the link-extension into a position which, so longas the hook and link are in engagement, it is impracticable to turn thelinkextension into. The most desirable mode of carrying out this featureof theimprovement is that shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10--that is,the lockingplate on its inner side is provided with or constructed toform the projection f, and the link-extension is recessed at b" toreceive the main portion f of the locking-plate, and at If, Fig. 7, isfurther recessed to receive the projection f, and the recess 6 and theprojection f are so relatively constructed that when the locking-plateis in its position in the link-extension a-channcl or slot, I, Figs. 1,2, 3,10,and 11, is formedwithin thelink-extension behind thelocking-plate. In this slot isheld the movable part referred to. Thedirection of the slot is such and the shape and size of the movable partare such that when the locking-plate is in position to confine the sealand the hook and link are interlocked, the movable part moves betweenthe outer end, f, of the projection f and the wall I) at the outer endof the recess If, and the locking-plate is thereby prevented from beingmoved; but when the link-extension is turned into a position whichenables the movable part to drop along thc'slot so as to be out of theway of the end f of the projection, the movable part does so drop andthe lockingplate can be moved and into a posit-ion in which the seal canbe inserted in the locking-plate. The movable part can be variouslyshaped and the slot I can be variously extended; but for a movable partI preferably employ a ball, G, and for a reason presently mentioned twoor more balls, G G, are preferred to a single one, and the directiongiven to the slot is preferably the one shownthat is, beginning at apoint near the side of the link-extension, the slot extends laterally atz toward the center of the linkextension; thence obliquely at i towardthe inner end of the link-extension; thence at straight in the directionof the inner end of the link-extension.

The parts are combined and operated as follows: The locking-plate isapplied to that part of the link which is shown in Fig. 7, and so thatits projection f enters the recess If. The strips termed theguide-plates I) b are then fastened to the linleextension, as shown inFigs. 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11., and so as to cause the plates to overhang orlap upon the lockingplate, substantial 1y as shown in Figs. 10 and 11.This serves to permanently unite the lockingplate and link-extension,and so that the locking-plate may be shifted in the link-extension, asindicated by its two positions. (Shown respectively in full and brokenlines in Fig. 3.) Any other suitable means may be adopted to thus unitethe locking-plate with the link-extension. The locking-plate at itsouter end has a projection, 1', Figs. 1., 2, 3, 5, and 8, and at itsinner end the locking-plate is notched, as shown atf, partly to providean opening coincident with the slot in the link-extension and partly toenable the locking-plate to fit around a projection, b of thelink-extension, whose main function is the closing of the structure atthat point against the entrance of rain, snow, or dirt. The seal H isheld in position to bar the passage of the hook-point by allowing itsouter end, h, to come against the projection f of the loekingplate, andhav ing all or a suitable portion of. its inner and side edges comebeneath an overhanging flange, b of the guideplates b" I)",substantially as shown.

The seal is introduced as follows: The link is upturned, as in Fig. 3.The balls G G now drop, as shown, into the part of the slot I.

The locking-plate can now be and is withdrawn, as indicated by thebroken lines, Fig.

3, and then the link is turned downward into the position of Fig. 2, forthe hook to be united with the link by passing its point through thelink-extension and locking-plate slots. The link is then turned into theposition of Fig. 1, and the seal is laid upon the locking-plate with itsouter end against the inner side of the projection f, and its side edgebeneath the flange If of the guideplate I). The locking-plate carryingthe seal is now closed into the link-extension, bringing the inner edgeof the seal beneath the flanges I) of the guideplates I)" I)", as shownin Fig. 1. As the locking-plate is thus moved into the link-extension,the balls G G drop into the part i of the slot I, and thereby lock theloeking-plate and seal in their last-namcd position. Now the hook cannotbe disengaged from thelink without first breaking the seal, for thelockingplate cannot be withdrawn to release the seal without firstuptnrning it, as described, so that the balls can enter the part of theslot, and the link or link-extension is so con strueted and combinedwith the other parts of the construction thatit cannot be so upturned aslong as the hook is in engagement with the link. This last object can beattained in various ways, and preferably by relatively eonstruetingthelink and the parts behind it, and against which it hangs, so that thelink can- .not be turned around upward. Forinstance, in turning the linkto the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, it may be made to encounter the boss(1 upon the part 1'), and in turning the link to the right it may bemade to strike the hook.

\Vh y two balls, G and G, are used is this: It is possible, but notprobable, that by sharply striking the link-extension at the side asingle ball might be jostled out of the part 7: of the slot I into thepart thereof. By using two balls this is prevented, for the motion ofthe first ball, G, being communicated to the second ball, G, the firstball tends to become wedged downward beneath the second ball, and theforce of the blow is dissipated with out lifting the first ball from itsplace.

As the hook and link or link-extension can be combined in various wayswithout affecting the above-described means for locking thelocking-plate and seal, I desire not to be restricted to the presentmode of combining them. The seal H can also be variously constructed. Agravity-pin can be used in the place of the balls.

I claim 1. The combination of the staple, the link having the extensionslotted and constructed substantially as described, the movablelocking-plate, the movable locking part, the seal, and the hook, saidlocking part moving in a slot in thelink-extension, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of the 1ink-extension and the loekingplate, saidparts being relativcly constructed to inclose between them a slot, I,whose part i is opened or closed by the shifting of the locking-plate,as described.

IIS

- 3. The combination of the link-extension and the movable locking-platerelatively constructed to inclose the slot I, as described,with the ballor balls, the seal, and the hook having the hook-point,snbstantially asdescribed. .4. The combination of the link having an extension slottedand recessed at b", and constructed to receive the adjustablelockingplate, the locking-plate having the inner and outer projections,and being notched as described, the ball, and the seal, said projectionof the 1ocking-plate and the wall of said recess I forming a slotforsaid ball, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the linlrextension I5 and the movablelocking-plate relatively constructed to form the slot I, having theparts i 2" F, as described, and the two balls G G, substantially asdescribed.

Witness my hand.

LEWIS A. BROWN.

Witnesses:

(1. D. MooDY, JAS. XV. ALLEN.

